Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2000 record →
WHEN THE INTERIOR FAN SWITCH IS BEING USED, HEADLIGHTS GET VERY DIM, CAUSING POOR DRIVER'S VISIBILITY. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER, DEALER HAS REPLACED PARTS, PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. *AK *ML
WHEN DRIVING AND APPLYING BRAKES PEDAL IS SOFT, AND THERE IS EXCESSIVE FREE PLAY. *AK
WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED ON THIS VEHICLE, THE PEDAL TRAVEL IS SO LONG AND SPONGY THAT WHEN THE PEDAL IS FULLY DEPRESSED IT IS BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE GAS PEDAL. THE INCIDENT I AM REPORTING OCCURRED WHEN I HAD TO MAKE AN EMERGANCY STOP. MY FOOT (BEING A WIDE SHOE SIZE) ENDED UP NOT ONLY IN CONTACT WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL BUT ALSO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. CONSEQUENTLY, I WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND STRUCK A ROAD SIGN. I CONTACTED SUBARU AND MY DEALER AND THEIR RESPONSE WAS THAT ALL OF THE CARS THEY MANUFACTURE HAVE THE SAME BRAKE FEEL AND PEDAL TRAVEL. JUST BECAUSE ALL OF THE VEHICLES ARE LIKE THIS DOSEN'T MAKE IT RIGHT. THE CAR IS FINE UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS BECAUSE YOU HAVE TIME TO THINK ABOUT WHERE YOUR FEET ARE, BUT IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION IT CAN BE DEADLY. *AK
EXPERENICING BRAKE PROBLEM WHEN APPLYING BRAKES.TOO MUCH FORCE IS NEEDED TO GET VEHICLE TO STOP PROPERLY. DEALER /MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT NOTHING CAN BE DONE. *AK
LOUD CLUNKING AND VIBRATION WHEN DRIVING OVER BUMPS WHEN TURNING AT LOW SPEEDS. IT IS MOST PRONOUNCED DURING LEFT TURNS BUT ALSO DOES IT WHEN TURNING RIGHT. DEALER REP SAYS HE COULD NOT HEAR IT. WE WILL SCHEDULE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT AND WILL MAKE SURE DEALER REP IS NOT DEAF. *AK
BRAKE PEDAL NEEDS ADJUSTMENT. YH
UNDER NORMAL BRAKING WHEN APPLYING FORCE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL, THERE IS TOO MUCH PLAY IN THE PEDAL, STOPPING ABLILTY NOT ACCURATE. BRAKE PEDAL MOVES EXCESSIVLEY, MORE THAN THE OWNER MANUEL STATES. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE. CONSUMER HAS ADJUSTED THE BRAKE PEDAL. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2000 Subaru Outback → · Every Outback year → · How the figures are calculated →